• Servet Inci, Ebru Karakoc, Serap Saygi, and Tuncalp Ozgen.
• Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. servet@maicity.com
• Neurosurgery. 2006 Jan 1; 58 (1): E203; discussion E203.

Objective And ImportanceAlthough the presence of a foreign body in the cranium after a head injury is a well-known entity, cases of retained intracranial foreign bodies causing a delayed onset of neurological symptoms are rare. To our knowledge, an unrecognized intracerebral glass particle mimicking a cavernoma has not been previously reported in the literature.Clinical PresentationWe report a unique case regarding an intracranial foreign body. A 39-year-old patient presented with new-onset epilepsy. The patient had no history of trauma. According to the magnetic resonance imaging findings and the patient's clinical course, the responsible lesion was considered to be a temporal cavernoma.InterventionDuring the operation, surprisingly, a glass particle was found within the temporal lobe. The glass had penetrated the cranium during a minor head injury and had remained undetected for 33 years. The patient was seizure-free without medication during 3 years of follow-up.ConclusionIntracranial small foreign bodies can be difficult to diagnose, especially in patients with no history or a vague history of head trauma. Patients with long-standing retained foreign bodies may remain clinically well until complications arise. Intracranial foreign bodies may mimic other pathologies clinically and radiologically.

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